This Monday night game looked more interesting back when the Cowboys were contenders and not self-described as a band of dumb players. The Eagles come off their first loss of the season and since they did not look very good in the effort in Pittsburgh, they'll want the national stage to stand back up and brush off the dirt. There is a chance that Terrell Owens will enjoy being in the limelight as well. Good chance. 100% sort of chance.

Update: L.J. Smith has been downgraded to questionable this week with a hamstring strain and is not practicing. I am removing him from the projections since there is a good likelihood he will not play.

Pre-Game Notes - PHI

While they were due for a fall eventually, the 3-27 loss in Pittsburgh was like tripping on concrete with their hands tied behind their back. The Cowboys could have timed this meeting better.

Quarterback:Donovan McNabb threw a stinker last week -only 109 yards passing in the game and of 24 passes, he targeted Owens 13 times which doesn't work when Owens is actually covered. Not that it will happen in Dallas. After a torrid start to the season, McNabb only has one good game in the last four weeks.

Running Backs: It was a lost cause against the Steelers but Brian Westbrook was able to play with the pain of the rib injury. He was ineffective with only 17 yards on six carries but made it through without making anything worse. Dorsey Levens only had two carries in the game for four yards. The duo should share again this week with more carries for both against a weakened Cowboys team.

Wide Receivers: In fantasy terms, there is Terrell Owens and no one else. No other wideout has scored this season other than Owens (9 TD's). Todd Pinkston had a 100 yard game in week eight but otherwise, only Owens has all of those as well( five 100 yard games). He was stopped, finally, by the Steelers and only had seven catches for 53 yards. He should get back to scoring this week against one of the worst secondaries in the league.

Tight Ends: L.J. Smith has three scores on the year but twice had no catches and last week was only one reception for 10 yards.

Match Against the Defense: The Cowboys have routinely allowed two or more touchdowns by an opposing quarterback and McNabb needs a "feel good" game anyway. He should manage at least two scores and 250 yards with upside for more. That means Owens scores twice since he is the only wideout that catches touchdowns and the secondary problems in Dallas are not going to go away.

The Cowboys have also allowed some big games by running backs but with Westbrook ailing and sharing with Levens, look for only moderate games from either. This should and will be the McNabb to Owens show. Monday night is just the ticket for making this offense to desire a big game.

Pre-Game Notes - DAL

The Cowboys have lost four of their last five games and three of those were by 10 points or more. Parcells is befuddled that his coaching is not working though with injuries effecting the team and a largely aging group of veterans, mere coaching is not going to be enough to make this team rise up. Their last home game was a win against the Lions and if it were possible, this week would be the one game that Parcells would want to win but so far - the means does not appear to be there.

Quarterback:Vinny Testaverde is still the starting quarterback in spite of constant calls for Drew Henson to show what three years out of football does to a quarterback. Vinny finally had a scoreless game last week after throwing touchdowns in every game this season. He's not necessarily even been the problem this year but it is clear he is not the solution. And the larger problem is that no one on the roster appears to be the solution either.

Running Backs:Eddie George reversed any good he had done in weeks seven or eight when he either scored or had 99 yards rushing. He ended with only 23 yards on eight carries against the Bengals. Not too long ago that would cause an NFL fine. The Cowboys went with Richie Anderson on ten carries last week but he only gained 29 yards and was, clearly, not the answer either. They trotted out Reshard Lee as well and he did better with 39 yards on six carries which were near the end of the game and inconsequential. Lee did not even play in week seven.

Wide Receivers: With Terry Glenn out and Antonio Bryant gone, it's all up to Keyshawn Johnson but last week that was only good for four catches and 58 yards with one lost fumble. With Quincy Morgan out, and we can only assume he actually does exist at this point, the Dallas passing game has shrank to nothing more than Witten and Johnson. There is no speed there and no way to advance the ball quickly when the Cowboys fall far behind.

Tight Ends:Jason Witten may stand as the lone young gem brought in by Parcells for the offense. He has two scores in the last three games and always gained at least 84 yards receiving. He is the #1 target for Testaverde.

Match Against the Defense: The Cowboys are going to need some breaks this week to contend. The Eagles are much softer against the run than previous years and yet Eddie George has hardly been a game breaker. Expect him to have perhaps his heaviest load of the season and yet still only manage a moderate game. Anderson could be mixed in as well as Lee which would only serve to water down George. Lee is actually an interesting player this week given his size and speed but that hasn't mattered much to this point anyway.

Vinny will throw a score against the Eagles since every quarterback has since week two but his yardage is not likely to get more than the low 200's he turned in since Glenn is gone. As always, it will be either Witten or Johnson making any difference.